1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a structure of a heat-pipe cooler, more particularly one, which is used for cooling chips of computers, and in which hollow cooling fins, fans are integrated with heat pipes, which have excellent capability of heat transfer and conduction, such that cooling efficiency is greatly increased.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
CPU (central processing unit), and GPU (graphic processing unit) are two major heat sources of a computer, and have to be cooled with efficient coolers otherwise they can malfunction. Referring to FIG. 1, a conventional cooler 5 for a computer chip includes a housing, several cooling fins 51 in the housing, and a fan 52 above the cooling fins 51, which housing is positioned on a chip 54 on a mother board 55 of a computer with heat conducting paste 53 being applied on a side thereof that touches the chip 54. Thus, heat produced by the chip 54 can travel to the cooling fins 51, from which it is dissipated by means of wind caused by the fan 52.
Because the speed of heat dissipation of a cooler largely depends on the total area of the cooling fins, manufacturers would make as many cooling fins over a limited area as possible in each CPU cooler. However, wind blowing from the fan will be very weak when it reach farther ends of the cooling fins, and in turns, the farther ends of the fins can't be rapidly cooled, and the cooler isn't efficient. Although large fans can be used instead to produce stronger wind for increasing the cooling efficiency, the cooler will become too large in size to suit laptop computers.
Referring to FIG. 15, a conventional heat pipe 7 includes a housing pipe 71, medium (working) liquid (not shown), and a member of capillary structure 72, which has better cooling capability than all of the metals found up to now, and is also called superconductor of heat; the medium liquid is poured into the housing pipe 71, and absorbed by the member of capillary structure 72 after air has been made to leave inside of the pipe 71; the housing pipe 71 is sealed after the medium liquid is poured into it. The housing pipe 71 includes a cooling section, and an evaporating section; when medium liquid in the evaporating section of the pipe 71 is evaporated with heat, it will flow to the cooling section of the pipe 71 such that heat is released, and it changes into liquid, and is absorbed by the member of capillary structure 72, which liquid will flow back to the evaporating section immediately with the help of capillary force. Therefore, heat can be efficiently dissipated by means of the heat pipe 7.
Heat pipes with the above structure are widely used in coolers for computer chips. Referring to FIG. 16, a cooler 6 includes several cooling fins 61, a heat pipe 62 connected with the cooling fins 61, a metal plate 63 connected to one end of the heat pipe 62, and a fan 67 next to the cooling fins 61. The metal plate 63 is positioned on a chip 65 on a mother board 66 of a computer with heat conducting paste 64 being applied on a side thereof that touches the chip 65. Thus, heat produced by the chip 65 can travel to the cooling fins 61, from which it is dissipated by means of wind caused by the fan 67.
Although the heat pipe has excellent capability of heat transfer, it still has to be used together with fans and cooling fins to dissipate heat efficiently. As mentioned in the above, cooling capability of conventional cooling fins isn't good enough, and in turns, efficiency of the whole cooler is reduced. Furthermore, because heat pipes, metal plates, and cooling fins of conventional coolers are connected together by means of welding, there will be more resistance to heat transfer, and the cooling efficiency is reduced.